It struck me recently that the things that he takes in stride, our daughter often takes to heart. She is not a drama-queen by any means, but her approach to starting public school this fall was completely different than our son's had been last year.
He was rarin' to go, and excited --plain and simple. She was (if we're being honest) bitter, anxious, excited, claiming it as her own, begging me to continue homeschooling -- and we rode that wave before school even started! All of those emotions continued well into the first few weeks of school. It was a struggle, I won't lie. The one thing that worked in our favor (I guess you could say) is that our daughter has a very strong sense of what is right and wrong. When she is away from home, I may worry about her safety, but I never worry about whether or not she will do the right thing. On the rare occasion when she "messes up" -- she knows it, and feels it strongly. All that to say that I knew she wouldn't purposely make starting school a difficult experience. She was simply processing all of the very real emotions that she was experiencing.
There were the nights of homework (a new chore for a former homeschooler!) that seemed never-ending -- but that was only until she got the hang of it.
There were the little "digs" she would gently HURL at Mom when she had a hard day... "This wouldn't be happening if I was HOMEschooled!" she'd say. I still hear them occasionally -- but definitely less often -- and more gentle.
And the worst part of all? MORNINGS. And those are still hard. She doesn't show any signs of accepting those any time soon.
But... once she's out the door? She's golden. Gosh, I'm so proud of her. *sniff* *sudden sob*
* no school band has ever had a better cheerleader
* no friend has ever had a stronger ally
* no lunch-time friends doubt where my girl stands in her faith
And the list goes on.
She has worked to follow her brother's first and most important piece of advice to her: work to build friendships with your teachers. Look them in the eye, and have real conversations. Give them the respect they deserve.
Yep. I think it's safe to officially say... she has lived to tell the story.
And um... me too.
I'm linking up with Megan @ Fried Okra for
You can read the first three parts of our story here:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Today, I am thankful for:
1. the first quarter of the school year - DONE
2. new beginnings
3. an anticipated lunch-date with a friend
Thought:(spotted on Pinterest) It doesn't matter if the glass is half empty or half full. Be thankful that you have a glass and grateful that there's something in it.
Homeschooling... I did it for a year and then my children went to private Christian schools for the remainder until my son begged to go to public high school, which he loathed and I still hear about THAT from time to time though he is long graduated from both a public high school and a public college and is a father to school age children himself (whom I would love to see attending a Christian school). Coming to decisions about education can be fraught with anxiety. Hope that everything levels out and that all is well. And it is also interesting to note the differences between siblings. My daughter is very outgoing and my son is much more quiet and reserved.
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